


Four Little Words

by Zelda2h2



Series: Five Clicks Out [4]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Implied future Sam/Steve, Kidnapping, M/M, Rescue, WinterShock - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2015-09-06
Packaged: 2018-04-19 07:55:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4738613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zelda2h2/pseuds/Zelda2h2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Steve, where is he?"</p><p>"Not with you I guess."</p><p>"Good guess. Do you have anything tracking him?" Darcy sighed at herself. "Of course not that's why you called me."</p><p>"Do you know where he could have gone?" </p><p>"If we're lucky? Brooklyn. If we're unlucky? Siberia."</p><p> </p><p>Sometimes it's the least amount of words that can describe a horrible scenario. And when Steve calls Darcy asking if she knows where Bucky is, and she definitely does not, she knows it's gonna be one hell of a long day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Four Little Words

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm getting tons of feedback and it's absolutely amazing! Thank you to everyone that's been leaving me comments and Kudo's- it's really making my days brighter. And of course, inspiring me to write more. 
> 
> Also- the next few instalments will be including mentions of Sam/Steve. If you don't ship it, I'm sorry. It will be a background story mostly, and the main focus here is on Darcy/Bucky.

Sometimes it's the least amount of words that can describe a horrible scenario. 

I forgot the baby, for example, causes a reasonable amount of parental distress and even though six month old Darcy was quite content lying in the pile of stuffed toys at the Disney store, her mother was less than pleased at her fathers antics. 

I didn't do it- one phrase that Tony Stark deserved to have tattooed on his forehead for the number of times he said it to Pepper alone. 

Anyone seen my quiver?- also an interesting event that resulted in a singed Quicksilver and a few thousand views on YouTube. 

And of course, Darcy's latest dance with danger sparked the words Bucky I need help. What was it exactly with four word combinations?

Jane had invited Darcy out to lunch- they hadn't had much time to spend together since Darcy's new job as the Avengers PR started. 

Sitting in a restaurant in Manhatten, Jane munched on a chicken Caesar while Darcy bit greedily into a pulled pork sandwich. "So, how's the big guy doing?"

"Off protecting the nine realms again." the astrophysicist shrugged. "He was gonna leave sooner but Steve and Tony were trying out different ways to lift the hammer."

"Any of them work? Mew Mew's picky, she is."

"Steve nudged it. Freaked the hell out of Thor." Jane placed the remainder of her croutons on Darcy's plate (it was their mutual agreement that Jane could have half of Darcy's onion straws if she gave up the little toasted bread bits.) "Speaking of freaked the hell out, how's Sergeant Barnes doing?"

"Not bad, actually. It's been a while since the last episode." Darcy hadn't been around for that one, but apparently Steve was very glad he had convinced Bucky to relinquish all of the firearms in his room. Not so lucky was he to find himself on the wrong end of a coat hanger shiv. But God Bless America and Super Soldier Healing. 

"Doesn't it ever...worry you?" Jane asked in a more hushed voice. "I mean, couldn't he hypothetically go off at any moment?"

"Technically yeah, if there's a trigger." Darcy put her sandwich down. "But he doesn't scare me. Okay that's a lie I get scared sometimes. But usually it's for his sake- I've started to see the person he once was sure, and that guys great. But he's becoming someone... else. It's like watching Thor learn basic humility but slower and with more shooting."

"Thor was a bit of a dick, yeah." Jane agreed, her eyes drifting to where Darcy was rubbing her arm. 

The star that had been carved into it was mostly faded; some of the sides did scar, but you could hardly make out a pattern. She'd still taken to wearing more cardigans around Bucky, just because he'd get that 'it's all my fault' look on his face and then the argument came cause it's not his fault she could do what she wanted and make her own choices which is what got her in that truck in the first place. 

"Actually, Bucky's been pretty annoying lately. It's like I'm a box marked 'fragile' or something."

"You? Of all people?" Jane raised an eyebrow.

"I know it's like he's got no clue right?" Darcy sighed. "My adorable little idiot."

"You ever gonna tell me about that little slip on the news?" Jane smirked when she took a sip of her pop. 

Darcy knew exactly what she was referring to. The first time she was on TV at the press conference for the Avengers, when Bucky called her beautiful into the mic by accident. She had it recorded on three devices at least. 

"Nothing more to tell than what happened." she shrugged, but Jane wasn't having any of that. 

"Oh come on. In some part of his mind he's crushing on you big time."

"In some part of his mind he's a soviet mind-slave drone." Darcy pushed up her glasses to hide her smile behind her sleeve. "'Sides. I have planted myself firmly in the land of friendship by now. Even if he wanted to dig me out of there, my roots are too deep."

"Someone's been reading too much fanfiction again."

"Hey. I just like seeing places where Nux and Capable are happy and alive, okay?"

"Uh huh."

The tell-tale whistle of Darcy's twitter notifications sounded and she flinched. "Dammit. Leave me alone you turtle fuckers."

"Public backlash again?"

"I swear if it's not the Bucky fangirls asking how he is in the sack it's the Stucky fangirls sending death threats." She groaned. "Sometimes they team up. It's horrifying."

Darcy's phone rattled the table, muffled singing coming from the speaker and the name Grandpa flashing over a picture of Steve. "Oh look, I like this one."

"WEARING OUR VINTAGE MISERY NO I THINK IT LOOKED A LITTLE BETTER ON ME-"

"Psychic hotline: you have the wrong number." Darcy said in a droning voice before giggling a bit. "What's up Steve-o?"

"Is Bucky with you?"

With those four words came a violent shiver up Darcy's spine; she shot up out of her seat and made a grab for her bag. "Jane I've gotta go."

"What? Darcy what's going on?" Jane went to stand too, causing their waiter to rush over to their table. 

"Would you like the check?"

"Jane I'll pay you back later when I explain." Darcy booked it outside, not quite sure where she was going yet. "Steve, where is he?"

"Not with you I guess."

"Good guess. Do you have anything tracking him?" Darcy sighed at herself. "Of course not that's why you called me."

"Do you know where he could have gone?" 

"If we're lucky? Brooklyn. If we're unlucky? Siberia." Darcy hailed a cab and gave the driver the address to Bucky and Steve's old neighbourhood in Brooklyn. He grumbled until Darcy flashed her fancy Stark credit card and then- well, she'd never gotten to Brooklyn in midday traffic so quickly. 

"I'm at the old apartment. He's been here." Steve told her. 

Her cab stopped outside of the building and she could see Steve sans Cap gear from an open window. Just down the road was a white van being loaded with some boxes. Followed by a long black duffel bag that Darcy saw had a hole in it from the flash of silver. 

"Steve." She whispered. "I think I found him."

"Where?" She hung up. 

Darcy paid the driver before creeping along the cars to where the van was being loaded. The duffel bag was unceremoniously thrown into the back and the doors slammed shut. Once the two men that had been loading the van went around to the front, Darcy opened the back door and unzipped the bag. Sure enough, Bucky was snoozing inside of it- a needle still protruding from his neck from where she assumed they tranquilized him. 

Darcy tucked her phone into his pocket before crawling out of the back and closing the doors again. She found Steve looking for her just as the van pulled away. 

"What happened?" He asked. 

"He's in that van." Darcy said. "Knocked out."

Immediately Steve went to run after it, but Darcy grabbed onto his jumpsuit sleeve. "Slow down speed racer."

"Darcy we don't know where that's going-"

"Yes we do. Gimme your phone. And stop making the cute angry stress face." Steve pulled out the device and she did an app search. "Remember when I lost my phone a few weeks back?"

Steve paused for a moment. "They would have tossed his phone as soon as they got him."

"That's why I planted my phone on him." She held up the Find My iPhone app proudly, the GPS following the van's movements. 

"Right. Go home and wait for us there." Steve marched over to where his bike was parked in the alley beside the building. 

"No way. I'm coming too- you'll need help talking him down from this bender." 

"I don't think he'll be in the talking mood when he wakes up."

"Steve." Darcy crossed her arms. "I'm not sitting this one out." 

Steve sighed but let her climb onto the bike after him. "If it gets bad I want you out of there."

"Ditto Rogers. Now step on it- straight on and then hang a left."


	2. Darcy vs. the Asset

They followed the van miles out of the city. Falcon had been alerted before Darcy and had been searching for any scenes that would indicate Soldier behaviour. He was flying ahead of the motorcycle so that it wouldn't get too close to the van and cause a messy scene. 

"Yo, eyes in the sky. What sees thee?" Darcy spoke into the com Steve had given her. 

"Looks like a tent- big, camo tarp. Our nondescript is stoping a few clicks in front of you." Sam answered. "Now would probably be a good time to go on foot."

"Steve, slow your roll." Darcy relayed the message. Steve stopped and pulled to the side of the road so they had the cover of the trees. "Aight Birdy, we're legging it. See you at the party."

"Roger that. Standing by."

"I like him." Darcy grinned once off com. "Very much the bring home to the parents type."

"You looking to bring someone home?" Steve stuck his shield onto his back, digging around in one of the bags on the bike. 

"You offering?" Darcy winked. "Nah. Then I'd be on the hit list of over half the staff back at the old HQ."

"Half?"

"Over half, trust me. They just accept you and Sam 'cause it's cute. "

"Sam and I aren't..." Steve trailed off and handed her a small prepped backpack, shaking his head. "Here, your very own bag of tricks."

"Yes you are. Don't even try and pull that- ooh!" Darcy poked through the bag. "Steven, is that a taser I see?" 

"Fully loaded. You'd almost think I was planning for you." He started marching down the road, a bag similar to Darcy's slung over his shoulder. 

"When in doubt, I've always got my own." She brandished her own taser that Bucky had given her and grinned. "I shall smite his captors with the power of Thor!"

Steve cracked a smile and shook his head. "You're sure something Darcy."

"Wanna call my mother and let her know that?" 

"Let her know I'm coming to dinner." Sam laughed into her ear. 

They hiked down the road for a long enough period of time that Darcy regretted wearing the heeled boots that were on her feet, but revelled in the fact that they were still cute and went really well with her jeans. 

Finally, Steve broke off the road and headed through the trees. He paused for a moment to listen, and then took off like a shot. Darcy struggled to keep up, huffing loudly behind him. 

"What is it Lassie? Whaddaya smell?" She asked. 

"You hear that?" Steve ignored her question in favour of his own. 

Darcy listened, straining her ears against the silence. "What? I don't hear anything."

"Neither do I." He gave her a pointed look. 

"Touché, Cap."

He raised his hand and cocked his ear again. "Sh! Did you hear that?"

"Haha, very funny-"

"No. Listen."

In the distance, a muffled scream could be heard. Darcy ran past Steve towards the sound until she hit the perimeter of the tent Sam was talking about. Tent was an understatement- this was a network. Like the little cities homeless people would build under bridges- intricate and overwhelming. Massive generators hummed outside, and Darcy was surprised they had heard the scream over them at all. 

Steve pulled Darcy back under the cover of the trees, assessing the number of men guarding the perimeter. 

"There's at least a dozen guns out here." He muttered. "Signal Sam. He and I are gonna clear a path. Find Bucky, then call me on the com."

"What happened to him not being in a talking mood?"

"There's a tranq gun in your pack. Try not to hit him with it more than twice- that shit brings down elephants." 

Darcy gave Steve an impressed look before speaking into her com again. "Mama Bird to Big Bird, where's your nest?"

"Just north of your location. What's the plan?" Sam answered. 

"You and Eagle One are gonna go hunting for worms- I'm going after the raccoon."

"Gotcha. I'll start leading them away from the entrance." Darcy grinned when she heard a loud whooping echo in her com as Sam swept down from above and initiated a few rounds of gunfire. 

Huddled under Steve with his shield covering her shoulder, Darcy ran across the clearing and into the tents. 

Fluorescent lights hung low from the ceiling, giving the place a very Silent Hill feel. Darcy kept close to the Kevlar sides, following the little iPhone icon on the screen before her. After maybe five minutes of walking, the screaming started again. 

Darcy ran- only took a wrong turn twice- before coming across a pair of slightly ajar tent flaps. The lights behind them flickered slightly, and the screaming was at it's loudest. 

Darcy prepped her taser with the medium setting and launched herself through the flaps, firing at the first dude in a lab coat she saw. There was only one more after that- he got her second shot. Just one left, two if she switched to low. 

Bucky was strapped to a metal chair, fingers digging into the handles, teeth still clenched with a bite guard between them. 

Part of her wanted to start taking off the thick straps that bound him, but instead Darcy opted for just taking out the bite guard. His eyes snapped open with an accusing glare. Good call, Lewis. 

"Hey, are you there?" She was met with silence and a deadly scowl. "My name is Darcy Lewis I work with Steve Rogers. The year is two-thousand and fifteen, you're in New York. Your name is James Barnes-"

He said something in a rough, throaty sounding language. Normally Russian sounded downright sexy when he and Natasha were throwing quips back and forth to annoy Tony. But these were accusations, if not threats. Darcy stood her ground, lifting her chin in the air.

"I'm not letting you out until I get you back."

"How stupid do you think I am?" 

Darcy flinched. "Do you know who you are?"

"The asset."

"No. Your name is James Buchanan Barnes. You were born in Brooklyn New York, your best friend is Steve Rogers-"

"All information that can be accessed through files. I don't know who you work for but you're gonna haveta try harder than that." His grin was smug and menacing and she didn't like it one bit. 

Darcy pulled a rolly chair over beside him and sat down. "Do files know that your Ma taught you how to make the best damn pot roast anyone ever had? Or that you're scared of heights cause your dad died falling from high up?"

Bucky's smirk fell, and he began glaring again. "Shut up."

"Or that you know all of the words to Somewhere Over the Rainbow because you took your little sister to see the Wizard of Oz three times? You'd never seen so many colours onscreen until then, right-?"

"Shut up!" Bucky shouted, starting to pull at his restraints. 

"Or that you've got a mug at home that says 'Stabbing is just chest based metal contribution' that I gave you and you didn't know how to deal with it so you got Tony Stark to build me a taser?"

Darcy heard a popping sound and flinched at the angle Bucky was forcing his thumb into. She pressed her hand on top of his and gave him her most impressive glare. 

"Or that less than two fucking months ago you ripped apart a truck to save me. You brought me home, stitched me up and got me drunk. And ever since then you've been frustratingly guilty about the whole thing. You've been dancing around me like I'm fucking breakable and it's killing me because you're pushing me away- Listen. I don't wanna loose you to these bozos," she nodded to the passed out lab coats beside her. "And I definitely don't wanna loose you to yourself. Please come back to me, Bucky. Please."

"Shut UP!" He roared, lunging for her. 

Darcy pulled the trigger on the tranq gun, hitting the fleshy bit of his shoulder above his collar bone. 

Bucky's eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped over. Darcy poked him with the shooting-end of the gun and when he didn't stir, she reset his thumb like her First Aid instructor had taught her. She scanned the room and found a gurney with heavy looking straps. 

With much pushing and huffing Darcy managed to get Bucky laying down (the bump on his head was totally there before she arrived. Yep. She never dropped him on his head even though he was a very heavy individual.) and strapped him down. 

"Mama Bird to American Airways- how you boys doing?"

"I thought we were AmeriCaw?" Sam answered, the end of his sentence sounding a bit strained and followed by a painful howl from whomever was on the receiving end of a punch. 

"Nah- people kept mixing you and Hawkeye up. Found Bucky- he's having a time out at the moment."

"Need help moving him?" Steve asked. "On your left!"

"Seriously?" Sam whined. 

"Nah, I got us a set of wheels."

"You're clear to start making your way out- I think we flushed everyone out. Romanov just nabbed a bus load of scientists making an escape."

"Aw you called Tash? That's nice, she needed some time out of the base."

"You try teaching an aggressively pacifistic android basic combat." The Black Widow herself channelled in. "You'd get grumpy too."

Bucky groaned and shifted on the gurney. Darcy pulled the tranq needle out of his neck and he laid still. "Speaking of grumpy- Frankenstein's getting up."

"M...monster." Bucky groaned, trying to get up. "Frankenstein's the scientist. Monsters different."

"James Barnes; you are a fucking dork." Darcy gently brushed a strand of hair out of his face. "How you doin'?"

"Fucking sore."

"But do you feel like you're gonna go all HYDRA and attack me?" 

"Nah; the Witch did a good enough job rescrambling- did I clock out?" Bucky squinted up at the harsh lights. "I guess so if I'm strapped to a table."

"You ran off in the city- some goons picked you up and tried to re-fry your beans." Darcy laughed. "You still weren't all there when I found you- hence why you're belted to the wheeley-table." 

Bucky snapped his head to the side to look at her, looking at her wildly up and down. "Did I hurt you? Did they hurt you? Where's Steve- why are you alone-?"

"Calm those fine tiddies of yours. Steve and Sam are whooping ass out front, Romanov's taking care of the strays out back and you're the one that broke your own damn thumb. I, meanwhile, took care of myself thank you very much." 

"I broke my- aw shit." Bucky groaned when he tried to move it. "How'd I manage that?"

"I was trying to snap you out of your little dream world, you got mad and... Crack." Darcy illustrated her point by bending her thumb back. 

"Darce..." Bucky looked up at her seriously. "You'd tell me if I hurt you. Right?"

"I would. And you didn't." Her hand came to rest on his bare chest. Hoo damn- focus girl. "You scared the shit out of me though. Did something trigger you?"

"I dunno. I was in the city picking something up, then I was walking. Thought I'd stop by the old place and- wait. Shit. Fucking shit!" Bucky grimaced. "Don't suppose you found anything... Unusual, in there with me?"

"Um, sorry bud." Darcy shrugged. "Want me to go back and look-?"

"No time." Sam's voice made an echo in her ear as he spoke both through the com and as he approached them jogging down the hall. "Someone called in enemy backup. We'd better get out of here before things get bad."

"Can someone let me up?" Bucky asked. 

"Sorry!" Darcy started working at the restraints until he could sit up. Immediately he grabbed his head and winced. 

"Ow! Fuck! Did I hit my head?"

"Umm, I guess so. Huh. Weird right?" Darcy blushed and started tugging on his arm. "I've got Tylenol in my bag, we'll fix you up later."

The trio ran out of the makeshift base until they got to the black range rover parked outside. Natasha sat in the drivers seat, tapping on the wheel. 

"Found them?" She asked Sam through the open window. 

"Making out in the corner, just like you said." He chuckled, nodding to Steve, who was standing over a group of restrained henchmen and talking to who Darcy assumed was their own backup. 

"Ha ha very funny." Darcy said dryly, climbing in the backseat, Bucky following behind. "You know some people have standards. I'm not one of them, but I feel like he is."

"You'd think that." Natasha looked at them through the rear view mirror. 

Steve opened the passenger door and climbed in, shield on the floor. "Clean up crew's on the way. Sam's staying until they show up."

He spoke in a short, clipped tone that had Darcy worried. She glanced at Bucky, who was glaring at the back of Steve's head. 

It was quiet for a few minutes as Natasha sped back down the road to the base. Darcy went to comment on the silence when all of a sudden Bucky and Steve were shouting at each other almost simultaneously. 

"Why would you go off alone-?!"

"Why would you send in Darcy alone-?!"

"She can handle herself-!"

"You can barely handle yourself against me and you think she woulda had a fucking shot?!"

"This wouldn't have happened if you'd told me where you were going-!"

"Oh so now I have to report to you, Captain?!"

"You're damn right! You clocked out on us, Buck!"

"Actually if I may interject-" Darcy piped up in a small voice. 

"Exactly! Holy shit Steve if I hadn't been restrained I woulda killed her! You didn't know who I was in there-!"

"Hey! Butt heads! Chill the fuck out!" Darcy shouted aggressively, using the same tone her father had when training the family dog. 

Bucky silenced, but Steve kept going, turning his head to look back at them. "Darcy can fucking handle herself-"

"While you are very right Steven I suggest you do what I asked and CHILL THE FUCK OUT!"

Steve faced the front again, finally quiet. 

"Good. Now. Yes Bucky went into asset mode- but I think it was only after they hooked him up to this chair thing back there. It sounds like he was fine, but got kidnapped when strolling down memory lane in the old neighbourhood. Meaning he was induced into that state, and also left it in one piece. Easy peasey. 

"He's getting better Steve. You need to quit being a helicopter parent and allow him some freedoms. And you," she turned her glare on Bucky. "You are recovering from some serious post-traumatic stress. The symptoms of which include you relapsing into a Russian robot of doom. You have to let someone know where you're going- at least for right now. I know it sucks but I had the bejesus scared out of me today because I thought something bad happened to you. You're not just a solo artist anymore and- and you've got people that care about you and-"

She wasn't sure when she started to tear up, but Darcy felt her throat start to close and she shook her head, hiding behind her hair. 

"Darcy I..." Bucky sighed quietly. "I'm sorry I ran off-"

"Forget it. I'm sick of you super soldiers and your thick skulls." Darcy went to put her hand on Bucky's, but he pulled his away. Again, Darcy got angry. "No. That needs to stop too."

"What needs to stop?"

"You treating me like I'm breakable! I'm sick of it! I get it- metal arm equals angst. But dude, seriously, you will not hurt me."

"You shouldn't've even been out here today." Bucky grumbled. 

"Well when Steve calls me because he doesn't know where you are, I'm gonna try and help."

"Couldn't keep her away actually." Steve added quietly. 

"We are literally a car full of people that does stupid, deadly shit. Accept it. Move on." 

"She's got a point, Barnes." Natasha said, turning into the parking lot. 

"You're not helping." Bucky growled. 

Darcy took the cool metal of his hand in her own clammy one and squeezed. "Stop being dumb, thank me for saving your life, and let's go upstairs and have a drink."

He didn't look at her while Natasha and Steve got out of the car, and waited until the former led Steve away. 

"I don't... I don't have a whole lotta people like you." Bucky said quietly. "Natalia... She's a colleague. An equal on a combative level. Steve's... Overbearing. Sometimes I wish we were both the way we once were. Everyone else treats me like a time bomb; they wait for the snap. I do enough of that on my own. But you... You've seen the snaps. And you're still there when I come out of them."

"Duh." Darcy smiled, nudging him playfully. 

"And that's why I can't loose you. I really fucking can't." Finally, he looked her in the eyes. 

Bucky looked hurt, he looked scared, and then surprised when Darcy took off her seatbelt and wrapped her arms around his neck. 

"You're not gonna loose me." She whispered. "As long as I don't loose you. Deal?"

Darcy felt Bucky bury his face in her hair, his arms wrap around her waist and his body relax against hers. "Deal."

"Wanna go watch a movie? Pop some corn?"

Darcy didn't see it, but Bucky smiled brightly at that. "Anything you want, doll."

"Great. I'm putting on the Wizard of Oz."

"Any particular reason?" He chuckled. 

"It's your favourite." She grinned, pulling away to hop out of the truck. "Come on. We're... Off to see the wizard! The wonderful wizard of Oz!"


End file.
